Paper Hearts
by The Romanticidal Edwardian
Summary: Short drabble starring my favorite pairing as children. AH, ExB. "How do I look into my heart?" He felt like he couldn't, because he thought that maybe she stole it from him and that's why she made him all those paper hearts - to replace it with.


"You have to kiss me," Bella said exasperatedly, "That's what boyfriends do! Didn't you kiss your other girlfriends?"

"What? Ew, no," Edward said, his arms crossed and nose wrinkled in disgust. He was standing a yard in front of Bella Swan on the playground, armed only with his jeans and crisply white polo, very aware when she took another step towards him. "Girls are gross."

Bella's smile was oddly triumphant. "Good. But _I'm_ not gross, and you have to kiss me."

"Why?"

"Because that's what boyfriends and girlfriends do. And I love you." She took a step froward.

"I - wha - ?" Edward was suddenly beyond bewildered with this situation, this girl, and this declaration. When he looked at her he saw all the paper hearts and love notes she had stuffed in his cubby all year that his mother had insisted on posting around the house, which made him really _hate_ Bella Swan. But he felt like he had to say it back, bringing his foot behind him all the while to keep some space between him and Bella. "I love you too."

"Well, then you really _do_ have to kiss me because people who love each other _definitely_ kiss." She took a step forward, batting her eyelashes at him. He had asked almost every other girl in his class to be his girlfriend at one point or another in the hopes that Bella would leave him alone. But he didn't like the way they looked at him when they were his girlfriends. He didn't really like _them_.

"Well I don't know if I love you," he mumbled. He took a step back.

Bella's arms crossed, and she didn't take a step this time, but looked at him steadily. "Then _find out_," she demanded. Bella came over all the time to play games with him and Alice. One day, when she was a princess and he was a knight, she got locked up in a dungeon. He touched her hand to set her free and then kind of wanted to keep touching her hand.

"How?" Edward asked unsurely.

"Look in your heart," she shrugged. "That's what I did." She was so calm now in comparison to how she had squealed when he asked her to be his girlfriend.

"How do I look into my heart?" He felt like he couldn't, because he thought that maybe she stole it from him and that's why she made him all those paper hearts - to replace it with.

Bella shrugged again. "I don't know. I just asked mine. I said, 'Heart, do I love Edward Cullen?' And my Heart said, 'Yes.' And then I knew I loved you," she said simply.

She took a step forward. He took a step back. He couldn't hear anything his heart might have been saying because it was pounding too loud in his ears. He was almost against the school's wall.

"I - fine, I love you," he said desperately, and she beamed with happiness.

"I know," she said. She took another step forward.

He took a step back. And hit the wall.

"Now kiss me," she said, and closed her eyes and puckered her lips, only a few inches away from him.

He was so nervous his palms were sweating. "You kiss me," he hedged.

Bella's eyes flew open in an irritated fury. "I can't do that!" she practically shouted. "The _boy_ has to do that! Jeez, don't you know _anything_ about _anything_?" She cocked her head to either side on each emphasis, chocolate irises blazing.

"O-okay," Edward whispered. Appeased, Bella closed her eyes again, waiting with her hands clasped behind her back.

He stared at her heart-shaped face and couldn't move. "Bella," he finally whispered. "I- I don't think I'm ready."

Bella's eyes opened again, and she didn't say anything as she stared at him. Finally, she sighed. "Okay," she pouted, but took his hand and started leading him to the jungle gym.

"Bella?" Edward started, panic clenching his throat. "Do - do you still love me?"

Bella turned to look at him, her eyebrow raised like she thought he was crazy. "Of course silly!" she laughed. "I'll always love you. Even if you don't love me." She began dragging him with her again.

"But I do love you," he mumbled, and knew it was true. His heart had finally told him from behind her big brown eyes.

* * *

><p>Just some cute fluff. I don't know if I'll do anything more with it. The scene came to me and it was so cute I had to write it down, but now I'm getting ideas off it. We'll see. For now, I hope you enjoyed this little piece!<p>

- _The Romanticidal Edwardian_


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